Chennai: Tried best to save Jayalalithaa, says Apollo Hospitals

Chennai: Apollo Hospitals said despite the best possible treatment given to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, she was unable to recover after a massive cardiac arrest. In a statement released after Jayalalithaa died on Monday night, the hospital, where she was admitted on September 22, said its doctors and paramedical staff "strived hard to provide the highest standards of care" to her. The statement said Jayalalithaa earlier "responded well" to the treatment and "subsequently recovered substantially to be able to take food orally". "On this basis, (the) Chief Minister was shifted from the advanced Critical Care Unit to the High Dependency Unit, where her health and vitals continued to improve under the close monitoring of our expert panel of specialists." This was before Jayalalithaa suffered a massive cardiac arrest on Sunday evening. She was given resuscitation and provided life support system of "extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)" -- the most advanced treatment currently available internationally for patients who suffer a cardiac arrest, the hospital said. "Every possible clinical attempt was made to sustain her revival. However, despite our best efforts the Chief Minister's underlying conditions rendered her unable to recover and she passed away."